


Sharing Space

by lisedelorme



Category: Cardinal (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:14:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24240100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisedelorme/pseuds/lisedelorme
Summary: A little look into the hotel room scene we never got a peek of on on screen...
Relationships: John Cardinal & Lise Delorme, John Cardinal/Lise Delorme
Comments: 10
Kudos: 33





	Sharing Space

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic (EVER) so please keep that in mind. Any suggestions for improvement are welcome but the kinder the better! 
> 
> I’ve loved the dynamic between John Cardinal and Lise Delorme from the very first episode. Their chemistry is so unique and I adored the way it was played with. I understand the ending of the series but that doesn’t necessarily mean that i *loved* it. Also, I needed more from the hotel scene, so that’s what this is!

Their conversation about the case had come to a grinding halt when they’d reached their final destination. Each standing at their respective rooms, keys in hand, the hotel hallway had grown thick with silence. John Cardinal and Lise Delorme had never found words necessary as a means of communication. The connection they shared was unlike any other. Eye contact and body language were just as loud and always held great meaning to one another. But Lise was beginning to feel that _some_ words weren’t meant to stay silent and she wasn’t sure Cardinal felt the same way. Especially now, when he could barely look her in the eye. She knew he was fighting an inner battle, it was playing across his face clear as day but she refused to be the one to pull it out of him.

“Uh..” he began

Hope bloomed in her chest.

“I’ll see you in the lobby? five-thirty?”

And then that hope swiftly plunged to the pit of her stomach. Those were not the words she was anticipating.

“Yeah.” she spoke quietly, voice dripping with disappointment, “Goodnight.” and flashed her key card.

Her foot had barely crossed the threshold when she heard a familiar sound; a sort of halted hesitation. She had heard it not long ago in Cardinal’s stuffy car, idling in the parking lot outside of her apartment. In similar fashion, she was about to head inside and unwind after a long day but just as she was undoing her seatbelt, he held her in place with _that_ sound. He was struggling to release his thoughts and she had rescued him then, offering up an escape in the form of an invitation inside. But with the break in their current investigation, they never got that far.

She refused to help him this time around. He _had_ to take the initiative. He had to voice his feelings and if he was incapable of doing so, she would take the job in Toronto. Not long ago, Lise had considered her job the most important part of her life. Being a detective meant everything to her and anything else came second. She knew that wasn’t the case anymore when she was offered the position and her first thought had been that of Cardinal; _how could she do her job without her partner?_ Returning to the present, Lise turned to face him, the silence louder than ever.

“I uh..” he began and then finally, lifting his head he caught her gaze with his own. “I don’t want you to leave.”

Never taking her eyes off of him, she spoke quietly, “I know.”

And in that moment, she _did_ know. She knew with certainty that he wanted her with him, by his side. But as what, she was still unsure of. A partner? A _lover_? A _friend_? _All of the above_? They had been tip-toeing around this thin sheet of ice that was their relationship and at some point one of them had to break it. She turned her back on him and walked through the threshold, leaving the door wide open, a clear invitation if ever there was one. Lise knew from this moment on, they were in uncharted territory. Her nerves propelled her to the hotel window, drawn in by the twinkling lights of the city; the city she may soon call “ _home_ “ and just the thought made her eyes burn with unshed tears. Nowhere would feel like home without Cardinal, and as if she had summoned him by name, he was there, standing behind her. She had felt him. His presence seemed to suck all of the air out of the room.

“Lise?” He asked quietly.

The uncertainty in his voice had her quickly turning to face him. It didn’t help that the room was dimly lit. She needed to read his face in order to understand what he was thinking. But deep down she knew what he was asking. _Did she want this?_ He was looking to her for assurance that they were on the same page and usually they were but lately it felt like they weren’t even on the same chapter. Their eyes were locked, and so subtly, it would have been missed by anyone else, she nodded her head, answering his unasked question. The corner of his mouth curved upwards, slightly, giving her butterflies.

She loved when Cardinal smiled at her. It was such a rare occurrence to see this man, so haunted by the ghosts of his past, feel any form of happiness whatsoever and Lise selfishly wanted his happiness to herself. She wanted _him_ all to herself.

Still holding each other’s gaze, they seemed to move together, a sort of gravitational pull between the two. Cardinal made the first move, reaching for her waist and gently tugging her closer. He rested his forehead against hers, peacefully, and in that moment Lise felt that this infinitesimal action was more than she could have ever hoped for with this man. So gentle and intimate she would’ve been satisfied with just this... but it couldn’t hurt to test the waters..

When John spoke next, the scent of peppermint permeated the air between them and it made her smile, immediately recalling the way he had absentmindedly snagged a candy from a bowl in the hotel lobby, popping it in his mouth. It was such a carefree, childlike thing to do; so unlike Cardinal and she had thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

“Lise,” he began “I want this. I want..us. You and me. I just ..didn’t know how to tell you. I never know the right thing to say..” He shook his head lightly against hers.

  
A quiet settled throughout the room again and with it, Lise heard his heavy breathing and wondered if he could hear her pounding heart. Cardinal pulled back slightly, taking her in, his eyes darkened with lust, roving over her features. They locked on her mouth and he leaned down to brush his lips gently against hers. It was sweet and so very Cardinal but Lise needed more. She stood on her tiptoes, attempting to gain better access to his mouth and before he could pull away again, she captured his bottom lip gently between her teeth, tugging him back. She felt his fingers flex at her hips and he quietly groaned against her mouth in response, the sound deep and low in his chest reverberated against hers. He shifted his head, his mouth met the shell of her ear and she could feel his rough stubble graze her cheek when he whispered in his signature rasp - that had _always_ turned her on,

“I want you.”

She hummed quietly, nodding in response. His words travelled lower and lower down her body with a pleasurable ache. After that, things moved quickly, and a hurried undressing began between the two. She tugged at his tie as he began easing her shirt up but then seemed to stop short; removing a turtleneck is anything but easy in the best of times, let alone a moment like _this_. Cardinal attempted to tug it over her head as gently as he possibly could. When she finally popped back out on the other side, her hair was staticky and had fallen from its tight bun to a loose ponytail. She couldn’t help but laugh at the whole situation, imagining how they must look right now. He fought a smile.

“You’re not making this easy.”

“Neither are you” She quipped.

He followed her gaze down to his tie, which had somehow become tighter than it was before she had started working on it. He smirked, loosening it for her and leaned down to kiss the smile on her face. Everything was still so easy between them. Even with this new addition to their relationship. She felt her body relax, giving herself over to him entirely. After that, Lise had no idea who took off what but once she felt his warm skin against hers, she couldn’t care less.

“You’re _so_ beautiful.” He whispered and she could feel the adoration spilling from every word he spoke.

She needed his mouth on hers again. _Now_. But their height difference was getting in the way. She frowned and reached on her tiptoes again. Cardinal quickly sensed her frustration and quickly hoisted her up, her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, securing herself to his body. Their mouths reunited instantly. Lise moved her tongue against the seam of his lips and he quickly allowed her access. She felt warm everywhere, like any minute her body would go up in flames. His tongue moved against hers and the longing and desperation was heightened by the minute. Cardinal shifted her weight, his hands moving to her ass, pushing her body closer to him and when she felt his hardness against her core, she ground herself into him in response. He swore under his breath at the contact. She liked having that kind of power over him. He walked them to the nearest piece of furniture, which happened to be an oak dresser and he sat her, gently on top of it. 

They were better aligned now, with him standing between her legs. His massaged her thighs while Lise relocated her mouth. Her lips met his throat and she sucked gently on his adam’s apple, making him hum in response. Her usually quiet partner was quite vocal with her tonight and every sound he released swiftly cascaded to the very place she wanted him most. Lise continued dropping kisses here and there against his chest, using her mouth almost in an attempt to erase each scar on his body. In their line of work, no one walked away unscathed but seeing every single wound on display like this, marring his beautiful body, made her heart ache. Lise didn’t want to fix Cardinal. That had never been her intention. She knew his past was wrought with pain and guilt and that he would forever live with these demons but she hoped they wouldn’t mind sharing a bit of space with her.

Suddenly, he tilted her chin upwards so they were eye level again.

“Where did you go?” he asked softly, searching her eyes for answers.

He was never one to miss a thing..

“I’m right here.” She whispered against his mouth.

And when Lise felt him gently reclaim her bottom lip, her heart sang. 


End file.
